Ceramic or induction: which costs less to run?
By Sithum Imarsha Last reviewed
Induction. For 2 people in NSW, induction costs about $55 a year, ceramic $79 and gas $62. Ceramic uses 45% more energy than induction (NatHERS).
Your result
Saved a year
$269
Ceramic (electric glass top): $79 a year at 33.1c/kWh, against $62 on gas at 4.67c/MJ.
- Usage saving
- -$17
- Gas supply charge saved
- $287
- Cost to switch
- $2,560
- Pays back in
- 9.5 years
- Gas meter removal
- $284.97
- Break-even electricity rate
- 37.74c/kWh
Switching the cooktop alone does not pay back on running cost within a cooktop's life. The big saving is the gas supply charge, and you only save it by leaving gas.
At these rates the new cooktop does not cost less to run than gas.
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| Cooktop | Energy | Unit | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas cooktop | 1,333 | MJ | $62 |
| Induction | 165 | kWh | $55 |
| Ceramic | 240 | kWh | $79 |
How we calculated this
- A year of cooking energy comes from the NatHERS model of household cooking, scaled by how much you cook.
- It is priced at your gas and electricity rates.
- The gas supply charge counts only if gas leaves the home. Payback divides the cost to switch by the yearly saving.
Take the government model of household cooking
1,333 MJ of gas or 165 kWh on induction
Price a year of cooking
$62 gas · $79 Ceramic (electric glass top)
Add the supply charge only if gas leaves
-$17 usage, $269 in total
Divide the cost to switch by the saving
$2,560 ÷ $269 a year = 9.5 years
Ceramic and induction both have a flat glass top, but only induction heats the pan directly. This version starts with a ceramic cooktop for 2 people in New South Wales.
What we found
Official source
- NatHERS models 864 MJ a year on ceramic and 594 MJ on induction for 2 people, against 1333 MJ on gas.
- In lab tests induction put 85% of its energy into the pot, ceramic 75.5% and gas 31.9% (Frontier Energy, 2019).
Want the running costs for every cooktop? See the gas vs induction cooktop calculator.
Questions
How do I tell ceramic from induction?
Hold a magnet to your pan. Induction only works with pans a magnet sticks to. Ceramic glows red when it is on; induction does not.
Is ceramic cheaper to run than gas?
Not in NSW: for 2 people ceramic costs $79 a year, gas $62. In Tasmania ($69 against $73) and the ACT ($77 against $78) ceramic is cheaper than gas on usage, at our default rates. Either way, it only saves real money when switching lets you cancel gas and its supply charge.
Do I need new pans for induction?
Only if a magnet does not stick to the base of your pans. Cast iron and most stainless steel work.